During the process of getting divorced, two individuals may quickly become at odds with each other over the matter of spousal support. For instance, one spouse may express concern about paying an unreasonable spousal support amount, while the other spouse might worry about not getting enough in support payments every month. Let’s take a peek at how a divorce court in Texas handles this type of financial support during the marital dissolution process.
Spousal support, or spousal maintenance, was created with the aim of helping lower-income-earning spouses or spouses with no income to receive the money they need to stay afloat financially following divorce. In other words, its purpose is to minimize the unfair financial impact of divorce on the less wealthy spouse. State law dictates how much a person should receive in spousal support based on several factors.
For example, divorce courts consider how much financial help a divorcing spouse truly needs and how much the other party can afford to pay in support. Courts also examine how long the two parties were married, how old they are and how healthy they are. Other important factors that divorce judges look at include whether either of the parties has separate property and whether they have minor children.
If possible, both of the spouses may want to come up with their own divorce agreement regarding such issues as spousal support and asset distribution, as this will allow them to avoid further court intrusion. Of course, this is not always possible, in which case the couple must rely on a judge to determine the outcomes of these matters for them. In either scenario, an attorney in Texas can help a spouse to seek the best outcome for him or herself in light of the circumstances.